Over the past month, Americans witnessed a shocking wave of deadly school shootings across the nation.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time one of our schools has been the target of violence. And sadly, unless Congress gets serious about school security, it will not be the last time either.
Congress cannot wait for another wake-up call before it addresses school security. Seven years after the Columbine school shootings in Colorado and five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, our schools remain soft targets for violence and terrorism. Our rural schools are particularly a target, because they often lack resources.
As the only N.C. member of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, I have worked to make school security a national priority. In March I released the results of a survey I conducted of principals and superintendents in North Carolina’s Second Congressional District. The results were astonishing. Fifty percent of respondents said their emergency preparedness budget is inadequate. Following the results of this survey, I asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct an in-depth report of our nation’s school security efforts. The survey should be completed in 2007.
In light of the recent school shootings, President Bush has announced a national school security summit. I applaud the President’s belated efforts to address this crucial issue, but the summit must be followed by actions. The first place to start is to reverse the misplaced budget priorities of this administration that have neglected proven measures to secure our schools.
In October 1998 I participated in a Presidential summit on youth violence. The summit produced a host of recommendations for reducing violence and protecting our schools. Many of the initiatives that came from this summit produced results in our local communities.
However, there has been a steady decline in the amount of federal grant money available for these school security initiatives in recent years, despite increasing demands on schools to improve their safety and emergency plans. In fact, in his past two budgets President Bush proposed eliminating the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. The President also proposed eliminating the Secure Our Schools initiative, which has provided funding to several school districts in North Carolina for school security. These budget proposals reflect misplaced priorities that leave our children at risk.
When Congress returns in November for the “lame-duck” session, there should be no higher priority than the security of our children. The first step should be for the Senate to pass H.R. 1544, the Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act of 2005. I included language in this legislation that would make schools eligible for Homeland Security grants. The House passed H.R. 1544 in 2005, and I urge the Senate to do so before the 109th Congress adjourns.
Congress must also restore funding to the Safe and Drug Free schools and Secure Our Schools initiatives. These measures are proven to work and have helped to place school resource officers and the most up-to-date technology in schools across North Carolina.
Homeland security starts with hometown security, and the safety of our schools should have the full backing and support of our national leadership. Protecting our children is not a partisan issue. Their safety should be second to none.